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Rwandan Researcher Releases Hopeful Findings on Diabetes Treatment

by Daniel Sabiiti
5:31 pm

Yves Mugabo, a medical student

A Rwandan Post-doctoral research scientist has discovered diabetes treatment that if approved could save millions of patients worldwide.

Yves Mugabo, is a Post-doctoral researcher in Diabetes and Cardiometabolic disorders studies at Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, in Canada.

He will be one of the research fellows who will present his findings at the Next Einstein Forum – NEF that is scheduled to take place in Kigali March 26-28th 2018.

According to NEF, Mugabo’s research focused on two areas. First on pioneering a discovery on cell mechanisms of detoxification of excess energy nutrients, where cells clean the excess nutrients in the body.

In these findings, he alongside other research fellows discovered “small molecule activators of G3PP” which can treat heart disorders and unstable sugar levels that cause diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes).

G3PP stands for Glycerol-3-phosphate phosphatase.

The research suggests that the G3PP would regulate glycerol-3 phosphate (G3P) which increases fat accumulation in the body.

With the help of Dr. Marc Prentki’s laboratory at the University of Montreal, Mugabo is also working on a new way to treat obesity by targeting a protein type (14-3-3 proteins) in fat cells which can trigger or prevent obesity if reduced or increased.

During a plenary session where Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente was presenting country achievement last week, Members of the Parliament tasked him to address diabetes and obesity issue.

“Some of the high class families think that children are eating well, but the problem of overweight among children is growing and some parents think it’s good feeding but it is not,” Senator Gertrude Kazarwa said during the February 20th session.

Between 1997 and 2016, male obesity prevalence in Rwanda grew from 0.5 to 1.9 %.

Obesity among female Rwandans is more worrying. It grew from 3.1 to 9.3 % in the same period.

Erratum: This story has been edited. The previous version had referred to Yves Mugabo as a ‘medic’ and ‘PhD student’. We have since established his current status. We regret any inconvenience caused.

1 comment

Emma March 5, 2018 - 7:46 am

This is the great work of Dr. Mugabo Yves. I appreaciate this work of this Rwandan, Mugabo Yves. With his wonderful contributions, we are mostly privileged to this study.

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